## *TELEGRAM

Source: PSS vol. 51

TO ALL GUBERNATORIAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEES AND GUBERNATORIAL LAND DEPARTMENTS

The Council of People's Commissars has resolved to suspend, under the conditions named below, until a special new resolution* the procurement of firewood by personal labor of foresters, assistant foresters, and forest rangers, imposing upon them the obligation to exert all their strength on the prevention and extinguishing of fires by means of: 1) general strengthening of permanent supervision, especially in places dangerous from the standpoint of fire, such as: along railways and major roads, at sites of storage of procured timber,

* The words "until a special new resolution" and the final paragraph of the telegram are written in the hand of V. I. Lenin. Ed.

IN THE SMALL COUNCIL OF PEOPLE'S COMMISSARS. AUGUST 1920

uncleared forest tracts and peat bogs; 2) establishment of a network of observation posts and regular patrols of forestry areas; 3) urgent organization of clearing of forest tracts of felling debris; and 4) obligatory personal participation in extinguishing fires. Of all cases of diversion to other work, such as: participation in fire extinguishing or participation in work on ditch-digging, etc., special acts must be drawn up certifying the intensive work of the forest administration. Responsibility for carrying out all the indicated measures is placed upon the foresters. The Gubernatorial Land Departments are obligated to deliver weekly to the Central Forestry Administration reports on the progress of work on fire prevention and extinguishing and on the participation of the forest administration in this matter.

Without precise and detailed protocols and acts, non-fulfillment of their obligations by foresters will be considered criminal evasion.

Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars Lenin*

no later than 13, 1920

text supplemented and signed by V. I. Lenin

Written in August, no earlier than 11—

First printed in 1959

in Lenin Miscellany XXXVI

Printed from the typescript